More Than Just Steelhead

The North Shore Steelhead Association (NSSA), an OFAH affiliate, is in the midst of revitalizing the Current River Park along the Thunder Bay waterfront. The Current River became renowned as a tourist attraction in the 1880s and a local newspaper called its rapids "second only to Niagara Falls." Port Arthur, one of two cities that amalgamated to form Thunder Bay, purchased land on both sides of the river to start a park network.

Unfortunately, industrialization, a hydroelectric dam, and other factors contributed to the degradation of the rivermouth. NSSA members, with the support of the OFAH and many community partners, started revitalizing the area this spring. Garbage clean-up, dead-tree removal, landscaping, and installing park benches are among the many tasks that will be tackled in 2009. Park restoration is expected to be a multiyear initiative.

"It's fishermen giving back to the community and helping reclaim an area used by fishermen and making it into the park it should have been," said Frank Edgson, association project co-ordinator.

Current Park is a popular spot for anglers to fish for walleye, smelt, and lake trout. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans even attempted to establish a walleye spawning area in the lake in front of the river a few years ago.

Edgson feels one of the great values of the park is the public access to the lakefront. "That's something a lot of cities seem to lose," he said.

The NSSA was formed in 1973. Among the group's many efforts were contributing to fishways on the McIntyre River and McVicar Creek. The group has also assisted with scientific work on local trout populations.

Photo courtesy: The North Shore Steelhead Association